Encode success. Practice the 20. Unlock creativity. In Practice Perfect , Doug, Erica, and Katie articulate 42 rules for designing practice that produces excellence. What are the goals that matter most to you? As Dan Heath writes in his foreword to the book, "To practice is to declare, I can be better."
The work emerged from the team's successes and failures in training workshop participants on the Teach Like a Champion techniques. We soon found that well designed practice provides the gateway to improvement across a variety of professions and endeavors. Since the publication of the book, we've heard from readers applying the rules across a range of professions—National Guard Air Force instructors, the US Soccer Federation, a US Marine recruiter, medical professionals.
Learn how to get better at getting better. Buy the book .
As Teach Like a Champion trainings evolved, we began to understand more deeply that practice bridges the See It/Do It gap—the essential element that supports teachers from seeing and talking about a technique to executing it reliably and effectively in their classroom. Stretching beyond our own experience, we looked to masters in the art of practice outside of school classrooms. Here are a few of our favorites and what they taught us.
Chris Hayden, an elite US Soccer Coach, is Director of Coaching, at FC Dallas Youth Academy. In this clip, Chris demonstrates how to provide critical feedback that motivates and inspires.
John Burmeister is a professional musician and the Music Teacher at Troy Prep Elementary. In this clip, John demonstrates the power of modeling, feedback, and encoding success.
Monica Mason is a retired ballet dancer and former artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London. Her brilliant teaching helped us refine two of our rules: Practice Using the Feedback and Limit Yourself .
